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Synonyms

smarts

British  
/ smɑːts /

plural noun

  1. slang know-how, intelligence, or wits

    street smarts
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While Borthwick has generally been wedded to speed and breakdown smarts in his back row, there is the option of adding some bosh.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

It’s essentially the difference between book smarts and street smarts.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

Street smarts may hold the upper hand for now.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

Yet such smarts are not evident among all the teams in the NBA, and certainly not among all the teams in MLB.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

I'm starting to wonder when the smarts are going to kick in.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.